The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 25, 1988, Image 1
.y:;. " , vv INDEX WEATHER: Tuesday, mostly sunny .. 9 I and cool, high 55-60 with N winds, 5-15 Editorial.4 mph. Tuesday night, fair and cool, low Arts & Entertainment _7 around 30. Wednesday, mostly sunny, Sports.9 high 55-60. Classifieds.11 October 25,1988 _University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 41 Future concerts not in jeopardy, officials say dj uavfu nuiiuway and Victoria Ayotte Senior Reporters University of Nebraska-Lin coln officials said Monday problems resulting from the Def Leppard concert last Wednesday in the Bob Devaney Sports Center will not affect Van Halen’s Nov. 5 performance. Jerry Lott, superintendent of the rts center, said as far as he knows, Van Halen concert will run as scheduled. Lou said problems concerning the Def Leppard concert arose when the stage nggers tor the band tried to put too much equipment above the stage. John Fremstad, University Pro gram Council major concerts coordi nator, said he has not heard anything from Van Halcn or their manager Charles Hernandez, who is also Def Leppard’s manager. “We’re fine with them,” Fremstad said, “What we’re doing right now is going ahead with other shows and the next one is Van Halen.” Fremstad said “right now” he doesn’t think there will be any prob lem luring other concerts to Lincoln. Fremstad said that “things were different than we expected the day of the (Def Leppard) show. “It was just a mistake on both ends,” Fremstad said. Lott said Def Leppard’s equip ment crew was aware of the regula tions a month ago, so they weren’t surprised when they were told they had to drop weight. “1 had to have them lighten the load above the stage,” Lott said. “It was a hold-up because thecrewdidn’t want to lessen the equipment, so they just rearranged it.” The rearranging put crews four hours behind schedule and fans were not let in the concert until 8 p.m., when the concert was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Lott said there was 63,100 pounds of equipment hanging from the ceil ing. He said the most weight the cen ter has ever had hanging from the roof was 45,000 pounds. Lott said the house rules for the amount of weight hanging from the ceiling are 10 pounds per square foot, and that the equipment is connected to the loading panel points. Lott said Van Halen’s overhead stage equipment is around 60,000 pounds according to preliminary re ports. Lott said he is negotiating with the Van Halen stage crew about the equipment. Def Leppard also was upset about the number of dressing rooms they received, Fremstad said. “That situation has been dealt with” for the Van Halen concert, Fremstad said. More dressing rooms have been found to accommodate the next band, he said. Don Bryant, director of sports in formation, said there was more than $1,000 worth of damage done to the sports center by fans and the stage crew. Vulgar graffiti and broken glass was found in the dressing rooms, Bryant said. Ceiling panels also were ripped by the stage crew, Lott said. Bias tells UNL ‘message of truth’ By Adam T.Branting Staff Reporter Lonise Bias, mother of basket ball star Len Bias, took the stage of the Centennial Ball room in the Nebraska Union Monday night and gave her “message of truth*’ to a full house of University of Ne braska-LincoIn students. “Len Bias has done more in death for this nation than he could ever have done in his life,” Bias said. Len Bias died of a cocaine over dose June 19,1986—three days after being drafted by the Boston Celtics. Bias’ speech kicked off a week of activities for UNL’s “Do It Sober VI.” Bias said in her speech that she was not there to offend anyone, but that she “is about nothing but truth.” She said she was not going to eulo gize her son. Bias said people talk more of stopping the symptoms of drug abuse than the cause of the prob lem. The “root” of the problem is peer pressure, Bias said. “When you have an interest that you enjoy, and they’re insignificant to your friends, they will put you down,” Bias said. She said she feels part of the prob lem lies with today’s youth being too materialistic, and that the more people have, the more they want. “The greatest love of all has noth ing to do with the name on your back, it has to do with the name that you have,” Bias said. She spoke of people’s self worth as an important part in resisting peer pressure. “Anyone can go along with the crowd, but who will dare to be differ ent? It takes character and courage,” Bias said. “You must stand up for what is right, you must take control." Bias also talked about the impor tance of family, and how family members are a person’s best friends and not to dismiss them. “It’s too late to let them know (you love them) at their casket, they won’t respond,” Bias said. Though she said little about drugs and alcohol abuse directly, Bias touched base with AIDS and the prob lems surrounding it. “Happiness is not wobbling on a pillow with someone,” Bias said. She said that AIDS will be the number one killer within three years, and that the young will “be literally dying in the streets.” At the end of her speech, Bias said that the youth of today should heed warning and not wait until they are “drowning at the bottom of the pool.” i Marked stalls watched closely By Lori Beckmann Staff Reporter__ Students who solve the prob lem of finding a parking space by taking a marked handicapped stall should think twice, according to a disabled University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshman. The inconvenience caused for handicapped students and for others is irritating and unnecessary, Rick Pa tocka said. Patocka, who studies family and development for rehabilitation serv ices, said UNL’s lack of parking is much more of a problem for handi capped students than others. “The problem is all over,” Patocka said. “If you have a class at eight, you’re fine, but if you have one at eleven, you’re out of luck.” New students have to park on the street, said Patocka, who has a re served stall. College kids take the spots, Fa tocka said. “They’re assigned for wheelchairs, but they park there any way.” Cars that are improperly parked in marked handicapped stalls are tick eted and automatically lowed, said Ron Fuller, superior parking officer of the University Police Department. “Thai’s a $ 15 ticket and a tow fee,’’ he said. “It doesn’t happen often,” said Fuller. “We get maybe four or five a month.” Most students who park in handi capped stalls arc aware that they arc marked, Fuller said, but they were only going to park there for a minute. Others don’t see the marking, he said. “They tell me that if they had seen the marking they wouldn’t have parked there,” Fuller said. “And I believe them.” According to Julie Zaniboni, an elementary special education major See HANDICAPPED on 6 John Bruca/Dally Nebraskan Gays sometimes vi ctimized by crime By Chris Carroll Staff Reporter A man who says he was at tacked with a lire iron thinks the attack was provoked by his sexual orientation. A recent graduate from the Uni versity of Ncbraska-Lincoln said he was assaulted Oct. 9 at 12:45 a.m. in an alley near 15th and G streets. Rodney Bell II said he was bleed ing profusely after being hit in the face with what he thinks was a tire iron. The gash to the right side of Bell’s nose required eight to 10 stitches at Lincoln General Hospital, he said. Bell said he thinks he was as saulted because his attackers thought he was gay. Although the Lincoln Police re turned to the area soon after the at tack, the three young males were gone and no arrests were made, Bell said. Bell, who said he is a homosexual, is a former president of the Gay/Lcs bian Student Association. Bell said he knows of several at tacks against gays which frequently occur near the State Capitol. Homo sex ual men frequent the loop area on 15th, from H to F streets, after the local bars close, Bell said. JoAnna Koba-Svoboda, adminis trator of the victim-witness unit for the Lincoln Police Department, said many assault cases have been re ported in the same area Bell was assaulted. However, according to Assistant Chief Clifton Koch, the Lincoln Po lice Department doesn’t specify whether or not an assault was moti vated by anti-gay sentiments, even if the victim believes this is the case. Butabill, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in May, would have required the national collection of data for crimes motivated on the basis of race, religion, sexual orienta tion and ethnicity. A similar bill didn’t pass in the Senate, said Kevin Berrill, director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Anti-Violence, in a phone interview. Last week, as the senate drew to a close, legislation that would require time consuming debates and com pro mise was tabled, Bcrrill said. The Hate-Crime Statistics bill faced opposition from Sen. Jesse Helms R-NC, Bcrrill said. Kay Kallam, a research assistant for Sen. Jesse Helms R-N.C., said in a phone interview, that the senator objected to the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the bill and classifying intimidation and fondling as crimes motivated by prejudice, something the senator feels would be dilfifuclt to access. Helms believed that if the bill were passed, it would be a step toward establishing gays and lesbians as a legitimate minority, Kallam said He is against gays and lesbians having official minority status, Kal See VIOLENCE on 6